Love Your Neighbor multicultural party returns to Concord Heights for second year

The Concord Love Your Neighbor Coalition and New American Africans are planning a summer celebration at Keach Park on Aug. 9.

The event will feature a soccer tournament, free food, live music and more.

People interested in registering to play soccer at the event should arrive at 3 p.m., said Honore Murenzi, the executive director of New American Africans, an immigrant-led organization devoted to building bridges between immigrants, refugees and their new communities.

The event is the third such multicultural block party held in Concord since September 2011, when racist graffiti was found on the homes of several resettled refugee families in the South End.

“It has the same goal it has always had,” Murenzi said, “to remind people that they need to love each other and help newcomers to integrate into American society, and to give the opportunity to the community to communicate and talk to each other instead of talking about each other.”

Festivities are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

Volunteers are still needed, and interested people should call Murenzi at 552-5240.